Enterprise Explores

While most pasar malam traders are eager to restart their business after a string of ‘dry’ months, 80% of the 200 KL-based night markets won’t be able to reopen due to strict SOPs. Many traders are struggling to comply with the rules set in place, saying that it hinders the way a normal pasar malam operates. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As barbershops and hair salons begin their operations after securing a green light from the ministry, many of them have been found to increase their charges in-light of the new SOPs in place. Are these prices justified and what’s the reasoning behind it? We speak to Lex Low, Founder and Chief Barber of Othrs. Barbers on how they’ve coped since reopening and Jeevan Sahadevan of Leverage Labs on strategies for a price increment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PlayStation 5 has been officially revealed and there’s plenty to look forward to! From its slightly-overdone chassis to an offering of new games due to be released when the console hits shelves, we discuss the ups and downs of what we’ve learned so far about Sony’s new flagship console.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we all start heading back to work, leaders are considering how to approach new health and safety procedures, and how to psychologically ease employees into feeling safe in the workplace. https://www.inc.com/brit-morse/reopening-workplace-help-employees-feel-safe-psychologically.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As part of the short-term economic recovery plan, the Malaysian Government has announced a tax exemption of up to RM5,000 for ICT equipment. According to the Prime Minister, the tax exemption is given to employees that have received devices from their employers for the purpose of working from home.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been discussing the mythical “4-day work week" for years, but with COVID-19 and global lockdowns changing work culture in a matter of months, companies, and entire countries are now seriously rethinking the very nature of work for its people. Singapore’s Parliament, for example, has now pitched the idea of a 4-day work week. Could Malaysia be next?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Common sense and experience dictate that there will always be office politics at work, but what happens when we remove the office?This question is more pertinent than ever because for the first time in history, a large portion of the industrialized workforce has been detached from its physical habitat. Can technology erase, or at least sanitize, the invisible forces that govern the power dynamics of an organisation?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we start to lift restrictions, many are going back to the office; however, only very few people seem to be too pleased. In a survey by KPMG Malaysia, 69% of respondents wanted the work-from-home arrangements to continue post-MCO. Why are people starting to get the back-to-work blues?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Monday, July 8, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared that New Zealand was free of the coronavirus, stating that not a single new case was reported in the last 17 days.An added bonus is the fact that, for the first time since February, there are no active cases remaining in the country. But of course, Ardern has stressed the importance of caution especially during delicate times like this.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Physical distancing hampering your group selfies? Apple’s ‘synthetic wefie’ mode might be able to solve that problem. The tech giant is figuring out ways to keep people together in pictures, even if those people aren’t in the same space.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.